The reason Gerber is considered one of the most trusted names in Blades and Tools is simply because they will out last the user. With 70+ years of experience designing and manufacturing some of the most durable and reliable knives and tools on the planet they are a serious top contender for your hard earned dollar. Who needs Gerber? Anyone interested in a tool that won't quite.

A veteran adventurer like Bear Grylls might be able to clear trail with a full-size machete as easily as most people trim their fingernails. For the rest of us, a weekend spent swinging a big blade like that is a quick way to make enemies with whole set of shoulder muscles you never knew you had. Which is why Gerber paired down the Bear Grylls Compact Parang to more packable, convenient size.

Modeled after the tool Indonesian tribesman have carried into the jungles for generations, the Compact Parang is Gerber's shoulder-friendly answer to the standard, full-size machete. By combining Gerber's decades of experience crafting tools and Bear Grylls' adventure knowledge, this stout, sturdy blade acts as a lumberjack on the trail and a surgeon around camp. It can whack through thick grass and woody brush all day, then chop vegetables and whittle fire starter by night.